First, tell students about symmetry and show examples. Point out that butterfly has symmetrical wings (shape) and symmetrical patterns.

Second, tell kids about butterfly’s body parts. Note that upper wings are bigger than lower wings. Point out that the body is much smaller than wings.

Third, tell kids about composition. The butterfly should be placed in the center of the paper. The butterfly should be really big to fit all the details.

Now let’s get started!

1. Draw 2 guide lines in the center (keep lower part a little bit taller if you want to draw a swallowtail)

2. Draw the head, thorax (the chest), and abdomen (the tail end) along the vertical guideline. Begin with the chest, then add abdomen and head. Add antennas.

3. Draw upper edges of the top wings. The lines should be wide and curved. Make sure they are symmetrical. Take time to draw them nice. Remember not to press on a pencil too hard to be able to erase it in case of a mistake.

4. Add bottom edges of the top wings. Use horizontal guideline to make it easier. Make sure both bottom edges are same length.

5. Connect top and bottom edges. You may draw straight or a waved line.

6. Add smaller lower wings. If you are making a swallowtail make it waved and keep space for “tails”.

7. Draw “tails” as two symmetrical drops.

8. Start adding the patterns. Begin with a top middle drops. Then add a bottom drops. Make sure the drops begin from the chest.

9. Next add a bigger drops around the previous ones.

10. Add veins in the middle of small and large drops. The veins can have “branches”.

11. Repeat the veins at the lower wings. The drawing is completed! You can erase the guidelines now.

12. Outline your drawing with a permanent marker (black or darker shade of the bright color of the wings).

13. Paint the background with watercolors.

14. Now paint the bright part of the wings. Use any bright color you like (yellow, orange, pink, light blue). Remember that it is always better to start with lighter colors to keep the brush and the painting clean. Start from the body of the butterfly. While the watercolor is still wet use a darker shade of the same color to make a gradient on the wings.

15. Paint the body with gray.

16. Paint the outer parts of the wings with black.

17. After the painting is completely dry you can add white veins on black with a white marker.

2nd-5th grade school art class: Painting a bouquet of tulips

This project was inspired by a bouquet of multicolor tulips I received recently. I liked that some of the tulips had gradient color petals changing from yellow near the stem to white and then light pink at the edges. So I tried to paint them on our next art class!

The project took 2 sessions. My students are 7-10 years old and they already knew the concept of drawing tulips from our previous lesson – check it here.

Add a vase. Think about the composition. Make sure the vase is NOT too big so there is enough space for flowers. Don’t place the vase close to the edges – make it close to the center.

Draw tulip cups (take a look at this lesson). Make the flowers pretty big (many of my students tend to draw everything very tiny). Note that the flowers in a bouquet can overlap.

Add stems and leaves.

Make the background with a long side of crayon (go over the flowers but not around them).

Start painting the tulips. Begin with lighter ones. Make some tulips with gradient petals. Make part of the flower one color and another with different color (example: yellow + red, light pink + dark pink, pink + purple). Ask kids to mix their shades. Note that they should not mix more than 2 colors so the color stays clean and bright. Also note that the direction of brushstroke should be from the stem to the edge of petals. We stopped the first session on this step.

Session 2

Paint other tulips.

Paint leaves. Kids can mix shades of green (lighter, darker) to make the leaves more realistic.

Add stems with thin brush.

Paint the vase. Show students that there is a lighter part of the vase and a shaded.

Patterned Easter Eggs

This project was inspired by Ukrainian eggs and Faberge Eggs. We used large plastic eggs from Target which were sold in $1 department before Easter. The main goal of this project is to learn to paint simple patterns along horizontal guide lines what takes a lot of accuracy.

Project takes two 45 minutes sessions. The first session is preparation and the second one is painting.

the eggs should be placed on a handle so it is easy to hold it without touching the egg with hands. I was lucky to get the eggs with a hole at the bottom – I just inserted thick markers in those holes to get holders.

next step is wrapping masking tape. Younger kids will need help with it. Wrap the first strip along the middle. Add one or two more strips in the upper part. Make sure that the masking tape is pressed well to get rid of air bubbles. If you have air bubbles – the paint will flow into them what looks inaccurate.

start painting the areas between tape strips. Begin with the lighter colors. I recommend to make the bottom part darker – it adds more contarast.

let the eggs dry completely.

gently remove the tape by pulling its edge

show kids different simple patterns like waves, dots, diagonal lines, curls etc. Warn kids NOT to use complicated patterns consisting of detailed shapes like stars or hearts – keep the pattern as simple as possible. Use dashes, dots, half-circles (“rainbows” or “smiles”), check-marks(I call it grass or letter V), zig-zags. Show kids how to alternate colors. For example, do dashes of one color and after that add place a dot of different color in between. Do the patterns on painted stripes and on white space as well.

at the very end add some glitter glue stripes or dots what will make the eggs more festive

Spring Bird on a Tree

This is a tutorial for painting garden birds – especially bluebird. The bird is sitting on a blooming branch. There are 2 main things to keep focused on in order to get a good result: a) drawing a bird carefully making proper proportions of the body/head/wing/tail and b)keeping it simple and not overdetailed! Let’s get started!

2. Start drawing the bird in the middle of the paper. Begin with drawing a big smile (half-circle). Don’t make it too small, make it at least a size of kids palm, but not too large to have some space for branches around.

3. Add a beak on one side by drawing an angle or a less sign

4. Add top of the head by drawing a smaller half-circle like a rainbow

5. Make a diagonal line on the opposite side to begin a tail

6. Add another side of the tail and then continue it smoothly to the back and then connect it with head

7. Begin drawing the wing with a C-shape below the head

8. Continue drawing a lower part of the wing by a diagonal line

9. Make a wavy or “jumping” line for the feathers on the edge of a wing

10. Add legs

11. Add an eye, finish a beak, make a line separating bird’s color spots (my bird has head+belly of one color and back+wing+tail of different color)

12. Draw branches or a nest (or a birdhouse)

13. Paint background with any light color. Make sure the color is contrasting with the bird (example: yellow bird+blue background will be a good, contrast, blue bird+blue background is no contrast). Paint over your branches and birds legs (just add some water to the paint so it is partially transparent to see the lines of branches and legs). You can also do the background with a side of a crayon what is much faster than painting.

14. Paint the bird starting with the lighter colors. When the bird is dry use black marker to make legs and outline the wings and tail. Also draw the branches with black marker (or brown crayon). Use the white marker to add feathers and an eye. Paint the flowers – use this tutorial for blooming tree painting.

Fall Leaves

If your kids like picking colorful autumn leaves – they should try this project! Ask children to pick various leaves (maple, oak, birch and whatever trees or bushes they can find). The leaves should have different shapes and colors. It is better to pick the leaves the same day or day before the project – otherwise they lose color vibrance and become brown. We used both freshly picked leaves and dried in a book leaves – fresh leaves look and feel better.

start with the biggest leaf. Place it on a paper and trace. Don’t forget to add a stem.

repeat it for all other leaves. Leaves can overlap each other. Kids can position the leaves as they wish since our leaves are blown by wind.

ask kids to look closely at leaf veins. Point out that some leaves have radial veins and some have “ladder” veins. Draw leaf veins for each leaf. Make only 5-7 veins for each leaf and avoid doing more (making too many veins make it look like a spider web).

outline every leaf and its veins with oil pastel. Kids can use different colors for outline and veins of the very same leaf.

draw wind with white oil pastel (waves and spirals)

start painting with watercolors. Begin with the brightest color (yellow). Paint a part of the leaf. While the paint is wet quickly add second color (orange, green or red) to the closest areas. Watch the magic of second paint flowing into the area of the first paint.

students can add third color if they want. Repeat the process for all leaves.

paint the sky with shades of blue and purple. Paint over the wind but not the leaves. The leaves should be painted around.

place the artwork carefully on a horizontal surface and let it completely dry (otherwise the watercolors can leak)

to make a cat draw one large arch (I explain it as a “bridge” or a “narrow rainbow” for kids) for a cat’s back on top of the pumpkin

add a smaller arch under the large “bridge: to make the outline of a cat’s tummy

draw an oval for cat’s head and a question-shaped tail

add triangle-shaped ears on top of the head. Draw two lemon-shaped eyes. To make a kind cat draw round-shaped eyes. The eyes should be of the same size and the space between them equals the length of one eye.

now add space between cat’s paws. Draw a long flipped raindrop of the same height as the smaller arch to make a space between back paws. Repeat it for front paws. Round each paw where the cat touches the pumpkin.

draw a face on a pumpkin (2 eyes, nose and a mouth) and color it with black oil pastel or permanent marker

I always recommend to start painting from the lightest color to keep the colors bright and clean. So begin with yellow. Paint the pumpkin over its face with yellow and orange water colors. Use a wide brush for it. Paint the cat’s eyes with yellow.

Paint the night sky with 3 parts. Start from the top: make a wide stripe of dark-purple color. After that add a middle stripe of pinkish purple. Then move down and paint a light purple part.

Paint the cat with black carefully. Paint the ground with black (my students voted for green)))

Add stars by making small white dots with a thin brush. At the end kids can add whatever they like: scary trees on sides, bats, moon. They can add whiskers and a nose if they like with oil crayons.

Rainbow umbrellas

Have you heard of a kid who doesn’t like running in puddles? Or maybe you know a child who doesn’t like rainbows? This fun project includes all what kids love – puddles, rain boots, rainbow-colored umbrella and THEMSELVES!

This is a project for 5-10 years old kids (Kindergarten – 4rth Grade). Kids can draw themselves or their friends.